Rocla Concrete Tie, Inc., the largest supplier of pre-stressed concrete ties to North America’s freight and transit railroads, has entered in to a long-term supply agreement with All Aboard Florida and Florida East Coast Railway to supply railroad ties. The new agreement will require the construction of a new manufacturing facility in Ft. Pierce, Florida.

The new plant will supply ties to FECR, the All Aboard Florida project, as well as other transit agencies and railroads throughout the Southeast United States. It will be located along the existing FECR mainline in Fort Pierce. This location was chosen because Fort Pierce is the midway point between the major urban hubs of Orlando to the north and Miami to the south, making it the ideal point to manufacture and deliver ties to all of Florida’s growing rail operations, company officials said.

Vice President of Business Development, Brett Urquhart, said, “Rocla is excited to be part of this unique partnership between FECR and All Aboard Florida. The immediate need for concrete ties by the All Aboard Florida passenger rail project helped justify this investment, which will allow us to be an ongoing supplier to any other capital projects of All Aboard Florida & FECR, as well as use the FECR network to reach other customers in the future.”

“Building a new plant in Fort Pierce not only allows us to bring better value products to our key customers, but it will bring 42 full-time, well-paying jobs as well as tax revenue to the city,” he added. Construction on the new facility in Ft. Pierce will begin immediately and the production of concrete ties will start in early 2016.

The Florida East Coast Railway is a 351-mile freight rail system located along the east coast of Florida. It is the exclusive rail provider for Port Miami, Port Everglades, and Port of Palm Beach. FECR connects to the national railway system in Jacksonville, Florida, to move cargo originating or terminating there. Based in Jacksonville, Florida, FECR provides end-to-end intermodal and carload solutions to customers who demand cost-effective and premium quality.

“Producing concrete crossties in Florida is nothing new for FECR,” said Senior Vice Engineering, Mechanical and Purchasing, Fran Chinnici. “This new plant and our continued relationship with Rocla provides us with a very high quality product and restores the level of productivity and cost effectiveness we have been missing for several years.”